D&D 5E In your Years of Gaming, How many Psionic Characters did you See played

[DammitVictor]

I played several in 2e, because Dark Sun was my favorite setting. Didn't play any psionic characters in 3e, because I didn't get to play very much 3e at all.

Again, I played several Psions, Psychic Warriors, and Fists of Zuoken in 3.5e... but every single PC I've played since Expanded Psionics Handbook came out had at least two levels of Soulknife (and later, Soulbow). Every. Single. One.

The Dreamscarred Press version of the Soulknife is my very favorite class in all of Pathfinder, and the Aegis and Psion are easily in my Top 10. (Edged out of the Top 5 by Druid, Witch, Bard, and Monk.)

 

[mach1.9pants]

0 in forty years. 1e was a mess, and (thankfully) no one ever made the roll for it. 3e then made it new age blah with crystals and ectoplasm, that has put off everyone I've played with.

 

[Immoralkickass]

Where's the option for 'Only one - me'?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Where's the option for 'Only one - me'?

Real life psychics should tick "Lemony curry goodness"

 

[R_J_K75]

I chose, "Not much and certainly less common than PHB classes". I played a psion in 3.5 and he was murdered by another PC, (and rightly so) within 2 game sessions. Though next session one player who was playing a bard showed up with a song he had wrote about that character and the last game.

In 2E I had a character in the Forgotten Realms that about 3rd or 4th level successfully rolled for a wild talent, I got ectoplasmic form. In 2E psionics showed up more as NPC's and monster abilities. IIRC if a normal player class didn't have a wild talent or wasn't a Psionic class they had no psionic defense against a psionic attack, didn't even get a saving throw? That's what made it so deadly when you ran into a creature with psionic powers. Its been so long since I read the Complete Psionics Handbook or played 2E I don't remember.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

If this curve of responses does actually mirror the larger hobby, and I'm certainly not saying that it does, it would explain why they aren't just coming out with psionic rules, but, rather a handful of "psionic classes" that might have a broader appeal. When 50% of your fanbase never uses some rule (or almost never uses it) basing an entire supplement on it seems like a bad idea.

Then again, what do I know? I've used a beholder maybe once in all the years I've gamed, and yet they remain hugely popular. Almost never use drow. And so on.

I don't think that really is an issue. I suspect plenty of people have never or very rarely seen plenty of classes.

From what WotC have said this is essentially a problem of WotC's own manufacture. 3E and 4E both implemented Psionics very differently, didn't put it in the PHB and 3E did so relatively late in proceedings. Now WotC complains that many people ask for Psionics but they want different versions. What a shock!

Also it rings very hollow as an excuse because they have had very different iterations of other classes too, and simply chose one specific take. Hell, they have Bards who don't even have songs in 5E, and are full casters! That's a very aggressive take.

I feel like this is largely down to the people in charge at WotC themselves not being keen on Psionics and thus no-one championed a specific vision internally, thus they listen too much to people via UAs, and dither and come out with utter tosh like the "Psionics Wizard". Even the Fighter subclass is pretty confused and vision-less.

If they'd just stuck with Mystic (preferably with a less ghastly name) they'd already be done, but nope, a lack of vision and general wimpishness prevailed.

 

[Maxperson]

It is interesting that even in the microcosm that is EN World that less than 20% of respondents (small sample size still I know) use/play with psionics or have done, with any frequency.

If this community bears out Crawford's words, then it has to be true of the broader community. Probably also supported by their own past sales data.

In my experience, most DMs didn't really understand psionics, so they didn't allow them into the game. As a result, most players also didn't understand psionics and therefore didn't desire to play them.

In those games where I was able to talk the DM into letting me play a psionic PC, the DM quickly got over that fear and was like, "Wow. This is just a different class. No big deal." From that point on, psionic PCs were allowed and some of the other players occasionally got their feet wet and played a psionic PC.

It takes time to overcome fear and stigma.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yeah I think there was a lot of paranoia re the "new thing" that Psionics represented and DMs, particularly adversarial ones, were afraid players would somehow pull a fast one on them. Once they actually allowed Psionics, often due to DS, this attitude typically melted away.

 

[Oofta]

So the new reason psionics have never been particularly popular is "fear and stigma"? When all else fails blame the Illuminati?

Couldn't just be that the class didn't fill any iconic role? That there's simply not a lot of call for this? That is was simply unpopular even if it did appeal to some people?

Just because you personally like something doesn't mean it will have a broader appeal. In my own campaign I simply didn't see it fitting thematically. Same reason I don't have good drow or Shard Minds (or several other options from previous editions). My campaign world has to make sense to me, psionics never has.

I don't care one way or another whether psionics is ever added to the game. If it is I'll take a look at it, but whether I use it won't have anything to do with "fear and stigma". It will be based on whether or not I'm not playing a campaign where it fits.

 

[Salthorae]

Once they actually allowed Psionics, often due to DS, this attitude typically melted away.

I think there is a big difference with Psionics as a widespread/setting wide Psionics and just psionics as an add on to a more traditional setting.

Especially when the DS psionics is the only "safe" way to do "supernatural"/"magical" things without sucking the life out of the world around you.

"Wow. This is just a different class. No big deal."

I feel like that might be a 3.x edition and later thing. Most of the non-Dark Sun Psionics introduction I saw in 2e was "Wow. That IS just as broken as I've heard. No more thanks."

I think most of those who "hate" Psionics have either had a bad 2e experience directly or inhereted it from DM's they played with when they did start playing.

3.x was really "just another class" if played RAW with all the manifestations, etc. I imagine if we get something in 5e. It will also be "just another class".